“Oh, no,” answered the girl eagerly; “I think Brooklands is charming, and the west wing has lovely rooms, and I have never cared for being shut up alone. People said that when Bertram was married Cora and I would find it so difficult to go on living with him, but we never did. If your father and mother will let me, I want to be a daughter to them; and your mother will tell me how to do everything, for I never lived in a grand house before, and I don’t know the ways of country people,” and Madge made a little whimsical grimace.
“My Madge’s ways will be good enough for me,” answered Arthur with a smile, as he took her willing hands in his; “only tell me how soon you will come to me, Madge. I don’t want to wait long. What have we to wait for?”
“There is the trousseau,” said Madge, blushing and laughing; but her lover swept away all such trivial objections with masculine logic. In the end Madge promised that early in September she would come to him for good and all. As May was now well advanced, and another week would see June upon them, the young man could not complain that she was keeping him over long.
But the idea that the thing was definitely settled turned Madge’s mood into something graver. The lovers were walking through a shady woodland glade, carpeted with wild flowers, and full of sweet sounds and scents. Madge suddenly paused and exclaimed—
“But we must not be selfish, Arthur, we must not be selfish! We must try and do some good in the world. If we are happy ourselves, we must make other people happy too.”
“With all my heart,” he answered gaily: “you shall be as philanthropic as you like, Madge, and I will learn of you.”
“I wonder what we could do,” mused Madge, looking round her. “Arthur, shall we be rich?”
“Well, sweetheart, that depends upon what you call riches. We shall not be millionaires, but I have an income sufficient for all our needs, and a margin over. I suppose that will do?”
“Oh, yes; I am not thinking about ourselves. Arthur, you know I have a little money myself. I have three hundred a year of my own. Do you think we shall want that when we are living at Brooklands?”
He smiled an amused, indulgent smile.